Homophobia, A Core Need That Points to God, and Conversations with Non-Christians
Welcome back to The Think Institute’s Newsletter! Every Friday, you get an idea from me, a quote from somebody else, and something to think about. I’ve just come back from a Share Your Faith Weekend at Little River Baptist Church (you can explore church trainings here) and we’re starting a brand new Apologetics Foundations Course on Monday, so there’s no time to waste. Let’s get into it.
AN IDEA FROM ME
Are Christians “homophobic?” Homophobia is defined as “Fear, hatred, or mistrust of lesbians and gay men” or “A strong dislike or fear of homosexuals, especially to an unreasonable degree" (American Heritage Dictionary). Notice "homophobia" is antipathy aimed at the persons themselves, rather than their behavior. Therefore, a person who loves practicing homosexuals, but disapproves of their sinful, self-destructive, and corruptive same-sexual practices, is not homophobic.
Source: “Is Christianity Homophobic?” (new video coming out this Monday on The Think Institute YouTube channel)
A QUOTE FROM SOMEBODY ELSE
“The Christian identity story addresses our ‘core need,’ and it did so before modern sociologists understood the importance of this primary desire… Our ‘need to be known and valued by self and others,’ is simply a poor, temporal reflection of our need to be known by God. We seek identity and purpose because we were created for identity and purpose—in God. We were created to be known, not simply by other created beings but by the Creator himself.”
Source: J. Warner Wallace, The Truth In True Crime: What Investigating Death Teaches Us About the Meaning of Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2024), 22. (Get it here: https://thetruthintruecrime.com).
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
I have found myself getting into a lot of conversations about God with non-Christians lately—from “gay pastors” to Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), to Roman Catholics, to those who hold to not much in particular. What I have found is that you really, truly do not need to be an expert in every worldview in order to engage with people who believe differently. All you need to know how to do is (a) ask clarifying questions, and (b) articulate Bible’s teaching about certain issues.
In my recent experience, the top two subjects I’ve needed to know about have been what the Bible teaches about the Gospel, and what the Bible says about homosexuality.
How about you? Which of the biblical topics, passages, or teachings have you found most helpful in conversations with non-Christians?
Respond to this email in the next seven days, and I will write you back.